Korra S4 E11/12 – Final Recap! – Day of the Colossus/The Last Stand

Alright, so the final hour of Korra is in the books. Its unbelievable, and the best thing I’ve seen in months, so make sure you watch it. My plan is to do a full recap of both episodes, as they are really meant to be watched together, then do an entirely separate article on my OPINIONS on how everything breaks down! FINAL SPOILERS START NOW!

We get right into the action with the Airbender squad using some paint bombs to attempt to block vision from the Spirit Mech. It works enough for some moderate damages to be done, but the team quickly realizes the behemoth is not something they can approach like a normal enemy. It decimates their first effort and sends them retreating.

Back at Future Industries, Asami and Varrick work on what’s left of their technology. It appears as if the suits aren’t ready, so Varrick plays his first card parallel to Korra. Meanwhile, Bataar Jr. and Suyin recant and emotionally begin the process of repairing the family.

Varrick decides to play the EMP card that worked for him back in the middle of the season, but despite its grand scale, it only takes out the smaller mechs and the colossus keeps rocking along. At this point the inevitable begins to unfold, and Varrick starts to confess his real feelings for Zhu Li. But it is cut short by the actual action!

After the EMP fails, Lin plays her card, releasing the notorious Dr. Hiroshi Sato and entering at a pretty dramatic time with information about how to breach the hull of the colossus with a laser saw.

As an aside, there is a great set of scenes where Wu and Pema maintain the evacuees and eventually lead them to safety via the help of Badger Moles, but its way too removed from the real action, so that will be the last I mention it.

At this point, Kuvira is making a fast approach toward Future Industries where the entire team is located. The battle is about to begin, and the bending portion mounts their final play to give the mech suits equipped with the platinum saw time to set up. Its easily the best bending we get to see this season, and although I prefer 1v1 scenes, this is wicked.

The time was enough, and the mechs are ready to deploy. Asami and her father reunite for one final time, and the scene I have been waiting for all these months finally transpires! Varrick proposes to Zhu Li in typical style!

“Zhu Li, will you do the thing for the rest of our lives?”

Brilliant!

The continued distraction is enough for the Sato duo to attach their saw and cut a hole in the Colossus, but they are spotted. With Hiroshi’s last breath, he detaches Asami from the suit, and finishes the job. He gave his life to make sure the hole was cut, and it couldn’t have been more emotional for a character’s redemption.

The Last Stand begins with the second “episode” and the team realizing Hiroshi’s sacrifice is their key to victory.

Once inside, the 5 split up. Suyin and Lin go to the arm to disable the trigger on the cannon. Mako and Bolin have the more difficult task of stalling the power supply. Korra leaves for the final encounter. She assures the rest of the team that this outcome will be much different than her previous.

Bolin and Mako’s task is a difficult one, and pits them with another classic 2v2 duel. They both overcome their opponent after some intense bending, but the override on the giant mass of Spirit Vines is not responding. Mako decides to make a grown man move, using his Lightning Bending to overcharge the mass and blow it up, nearly killing himself in the process. Luckily, Bolin is there to save him.

The Beifong sister’s have the easiest job out of them all, especially when they come to realize that even though the entire hull of the colossus is platinum, the inside is standard iron and other metals, so they use their metal bending to completely disable the arm. This leads Kuvira to respond by using the pure strength of the mech to rip its own arm off and lobs it across the city.

As this happens, Korra finally reaches the control room. The battle of the season gets underway with some incredibly crafty liquid metal bending by Kuvira. There is a LOT of bending and mixed martial arts associated, and I feel this is one of the most complete battles of the entire series. There have been amazing bending scenes before, particularly when Tenzin engages Zaheer, but this is just as spectacular.

The battle is cut short as the energy mass of vines implodes and severs the colossus. Korra and Kuvira are flung from the cockpit and Kuvira is beat up pretty bad from the fall. Korra offers her peace, but Kuvira is not done fighting. She launches a rock into her face and retreats into the Spirit Wilds.

There, Korra realizes Kuvira’s Spirit Cannon weapon is hanging from the vines of the wilds, and when Kuvira unleashes its last blast, it begins sucking in the rest of the energy from the city. It gets quickly out of control, put Korra steps up and goes full Avatar, redirecting the uncontrollable spirit energy with her own, causing a cataclysmic blast coupled with the most epic music this show has ever had. *tears*

The blast creates a third spirit rift, this one in the center of Republic City. Inside the Spirit World, Korra levels emotionally with Kuvira about her orphanage and power play, and she eventually turns her self in, ending the action and conflict abruptly.

The episode isn’t over, but the last bit will be covered in my Series Recap article as its based on the entirety of the Avatar Series, as well as its past and future. Stay tuned!